A Culture of Vocations

We have begun our Advent waiting. In four short weeks it will be Christmas. Most people are focusing on getting shopping done. I am not immune to this. I, too, am making my list and checking it twice. We are all trying to get our Christmas decorations in order and hung up and we marvel at the lights and glitter other people seem to be able to decorate their homes with and we wonder how they do it, at least I do.

The other day in a moment when I had some down time I stopped to watch a program called “This is Life with Lisa Ling” on CNN. Lisa Ling goes in depth on a particular subject in each episode and the one that aired on November 16 was called “Called to the Collar”, looking at the Catholic priesthood and focusing on the Diocese of Lansing in Michigan.

This diocese of 6,218 square miles with a population of 1,778,475, including 227,305 Catholics, has produced 30 seminarians per year over the last 5 years and the tiny town of Fowler, Michigan, has produced 22 priests in the 133 years its Catholic parish has existed. You may say that 22 over 133 years doesn’t seem that impressive, but it is, especially when you consider the population of Fowler is only 1,214! The neighboring town of Wesphalia has a population of 923 and they have also produced 22 priests in about 144 years. This steady population of 2,137 people, in these two towns, has produced 44 priests! I think that’s amazing.

The CNN program followed the latest two priests, who happen to be twin brothers, and interviewed them and their family and, yes, their pastor as well. I mention this story because it got me thinking. What are they doing? How are they doing this? And why is this relatively small diocese in the middle of Michigan so successful? One thing that shined through was that the young men of Fowler are encouraged to be priests, and when they interviewed 14-year-old Charlie, an altar server, he said he is “open” to being called to the priesthood. Can we here in Boston say the same thing?

Are we as families encouraging our young men to be open to the call of Holy Orders? I’d like you to think of the priests you have known in your life, how they have helped you, how have they inspired you and how they have been there to celebrate the baptisms, communions, confessions, marriages and the anointing of the sick. Think of your life as a Catholic and wonder what it would be like if priests were not there, how your life would be different.

This Advent season as we joyfully await Christ coming at Christmas and for the second time, perhaps our prayers should focus in on how our towns of Walpole and Sharon with a combined population of 41,682 people can effect change in the numbers of vocations we have to the priesthood. In other words pray for vocations to the priesthood from amongst our young men, encourage your sons to consider and pray for a vocation to the priesthood and let us all foster a culture of vocations within our communities. Oh and by the way Fowler and Westphalia have also produced 37 vocations to religious life from their daughters as well. It’s a pretty amazing place. Come Lord Jesus! Peace!